Committed to Action!

Youth advisory council graphic with pictures and images of young people and washington animals.

We are committed to responding to the feedback and recommendations of the Youth Advisory Council through implementation and action. Activities to honor their feedback are already under way. Check out what we're working on:

Youth Advisory Council Report of Recommendations: 2022 Cohort

The Youth Advisory Council Report: 2022 Cohort is now available to read. It shares feedback and recommendations from our first YAC cohort.
Here's a four-page summary of the Youth Advisory Council Report: 2022 Cohort.
Check out this one pager to learn more about the products we've created in collaboration with the YAC. It's also available in Spanish.

Front page of the youth advisory council report

Teen Health Hub WA

Throughout 2023, DOH collaborated with members of the Youth Advisory Council and youth interns and volunteers to cocreate a new DOH webpage just for teens and young adults. Teen Health Hub WA is a curated directory of accurate and reliable health information. This activity is an example of our implementation of the YAC's recommendation for increased access to high quality, accurate and reliable health information for young people.

Check out Teen Health Hub WA in the news!

Health Care How-Tos for Teens and Young Adults

The Youth Advisory Council recommended that trusted adults and organizations create how to guides on important adolescent health topics, like how to make a doctor's appointment and how to find health insurance.

We collaborated with the YAC to develop scripts for our first How to videos: How to Schedule a Doctor's Appointment and How to make sure your appointment stays confidential. These are available on our You Tube Playlist: Health Care How-Tos for Teens and Young Adults - YouTube

We created a companion for each video, too:

Health Care How-Tos for Teens and Young Adults: How to schedule a doctor's appointment - What you need to know and telephone script in English and Spanish
Teens, Privacy, and Healthcare - Poster for teens about health care rights, digital download - in English and Spanish. Contact us for information about printing.

Video thumbnail showing a bear with a green hat.

Privacy and Confidentiality for Teens and Youth-Serving Health Care Providers

The Youth Advisory Council said young people want to know more about their health care rights, including what health care services they can consent to on their own, and what health information their provider will keep confidential.

In response, we've developed several new resources for young people and for youth-serving health care providers:

We collaborated with the Adolescent Health Initiative at the University of Michigan Health to develop a new Sparks training for youth-serving health care providers in Washington. The training focuses on best practices for understanding and interpreting Washington's minor consent laws and providing confidential care for youth. The free Sparks training includes a facilitator's guide, a slide presentation, vignettes to practice what was learned, a handout, and a health care rights poster for youth. Check out the Washington version at AHI's Sparks: Confidentiality Laws and Minor Consent.
We collaborated with the Youth Advisory Council to create a new video called: How to keep your health information confidential. Check it out on our playlist at: Health Care How-Tos for Teens and Young Adults - YouTube
Teens, Privacy, and Healthcare - Poster for teens about health care rights, digital download - in English and Spanish. Contact us for information about printing.

Emergency Contraception FAQ

The YAC's Sexual and Reproductive Health Subcommittee worked with experts at DOH to develop a new FAQ about emergency contraception - also known as Plan B or the "morning after pill". The Subcommittee came up with the idea for an FAQ on this topic, brainstormed questions young people want answers to, and collaborated with DOH staff to research answers to the questions and design the tool.

Peer Support Services in Schools

The Youth Advisory Council recommended more information about and access to peer support for behavioral health needs. To respond to this recommendation, we are piloting a new grant type for school-based behavioral health peer support services. Learn more at: Behavioral Health SBHC Grant Information

Activities in progress...

A new Youth-Friendly Certification developed by young people for youth-serving primary care, Title X, and behavioral health clinics and practices
A new series of videos about adolescent well care checks (annual doctor appointment) for teens and young adults - we're collaborating with Amaze.org on this!
Information on eating disorders for teens and young adults.